Minority Shift In Work Force Is Reported

By JESUS RANGEL

Published: December 15, 1987

Black, Hispanic and Asian workers are on the verge of becoming a majority in the resident labor force in New York City for the first time, but they are still largely concentrated in lower level jobs, the United States Department of Labor said yesterday.

Samuel M. Ehrenhalt, the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner for the New York region, termed the shift in the labor pool ''historical'' and predicted that minorities would make up most of the city's labor force by the end of the decade. The statistics he presented include only those who live and work within the city limits. The figures do not include commuters.

The change reflects a fundamental shift in the population of New York City in the last 36 years in which the number of non-Hispanic whites has decreased by millions and the number of blacks, Hispanics and newer ethnic groups, such as Asians, have grown by almost as much.

The figures include the first release of quarterly labor force figures for the Hispanic population by the Federal agency and the first look at New York City's minority work force as a whole. Rise in Economically Active People

Mr. Ehrenhalt said that since 1977, when the city's economic recovery began, the number of people economically active -those employed or those who are unemployed and are actively seeking and are available for work - has risen by 169,000, to 3,227,000.

''Indications are that minorities have accounted for all net labor force growth in the past 10 years,'' Mr. Ehrenhalt said.

He said the size of the black and nonwhite labor force has increased by 237,000, or 30 percent, since 1977, while the white labor force has dipped 68,000, or 3.9 percent.

The unemployment rate for Hispanic workers dropped to 8.3 percent, from 10.6 percent in 1986.

While the figures are encouraging for the minority groups, Mr. Ehrenhalt said, there is concern over the disparity between the types of jobs minority workers hold and their educational background, and the direction of the economy.

He emphasized that the city needed to improve its educational system to supply workers for jobs that demand a higher level of skills.

''We have entered the era of mismatch,'' he said. ''The upcoming labor supply and the high school dropout rate are on divergent courses.''

Alair A. Townsend, the Deputy Mayor for Finance and Economic Development, agreed with Mr. Ehrenhalt's figures and said the city was trying to do more about the general decline in basic skills. Higher Level of Education Demanded

''It's certainly true that a number of employers have expressed concern to us for the present and future quality of workers all across the board, not just minority workers,'' she said. ''That's why the schools and the need to improve them is the single issue with the largest consensus in New York City.''

Mr. Ehrenhalt noted that in New York City, most employers demand that workers ages 25 to 54 have not just a high school diploma, but at least a year of college.

However, 42 percent of the city's black population age 25 and over and 60 percent of the Hispanic population in the same age group do not have a high school diploma, compared with 37 percent of whites.

''With job structures requiring higher levels of educational attainment and more and different kinds of training, the city's overall 37 percent high school dropout rate represents a major source of concern,'' Mr. Ehrenhalt said.

The problem of having a sufficiently skilled work force has many implications for New York City, particularly its ability to remain a national and international center of financial and business services, Mr. Ehrenhalt said.

''There are very few jobs that have to be here,'' he said. ''If the qualified workers aren't there, employers will find there is no need to stay.'' Dim Prospects for Many

For minority workers whose skills and educational background are suited principally for manufacturing, the prospect of qualifying for jobs in the service sector are dim, unless training is available.

As of 1986, 23 percent of the city's Hispanic workers were on manufacturing payrolls, nearly double the 12 percent rate for non-Hispanic whites.

This is despite the fact that in the 1980's factory jobs based in New York City have declined by 130,000, to 377,000, a record low in the four decades for which comparable data are available, Mr. Ehrenhalt said.

When the figures were broken down by occupation, 14 percent of all employed Hispanic workers held jobs as semi-skilled and unskilled machine operators, assemblers and inspectors, areas of manufacturing that are declining. The figure was more than triple the number of non-Hispanic whites in those jobs. 'Potential for Conflict'

Compounding the concentration in a declining sector is the lack of representation among minority workers in higher level jobs.

As of 1986, 21 percent of all employed blacks and only 16 percent of employed Hispanics people were in the managerial, professional, specialty and technical support fields, compared with 36 percent for whites.

Angelo Falcon, director of the Institute for Puerto Rican Policy, said that while the data are another indication that minority-group people in New York City are fast becoming the majority, he is not optimistic that the city's institutions will respond sufficiently to the changing demographics.

''I see a tremendous potential for conflict on issues concerning access to jobs,'' Mr. Falcon said. ''It is one of the things that will define politics and economics in New York through the next decade.''